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Study Abroad in Barcelona, Spain

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Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain, is a global city, a major tourist destination, and a center of culture and industry. Located on the Mediterranean coast, it boasts great weather, unique architecture, and a fun ambiance.

From taking in Gaudi’s famous Sagrada Familia to strolling along Las Ramblas, a student or tourist in Barcelona is never bored. It is considered one of the top study abroad destinations for students who want to experience Barcelona’s culture, take in its beaches, or dance the night away in anyone of the huge discotecas.

Barcelona: famous for its history, its parties, its beaches and its culture. The capital of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain, Barcelona is considered one of the world’s major global cities. There are weekend excursions a’plenty, with such notable nearby landmarks as Mt. Tibidabo, Montjuic Castle and the site of the 1998 Olympics.

Student Housing

If you study abroad with a third party provider, they almost always provide housing for students or can assist you with finding some. However, if you directly enroll in a university in Barcelona, you may be in charge of finding a homestay or apartment on your own. For student housing, Beroomers and UniPlaces are good places to check. For homestays, try Homestay.com.

Culture and Immersion

Barcelona is a city saturated with art and history. The minute you set foot in Plaza Catalunya – which will likely be your first stop from the airport – you need only peek a few blocks away to see the fantastical architectural wonderments of Gaudi. From Gaudi’s coveted La Pedrera to the infamously incomplete Sagrada Familia to the environmental getaway of Parc Guell, his artistic touch offers a whimsical feel unique to Barcelona. The Picasso museum can also be found in the heart of the city.

Catalunya is also a proud region. Boasting its own dialect and regional history, Catalonians even celebrate their own regional holidays and festivals, such as La Merce and La Diada Nacional. Many students studying Spanish are often shocked to find that they don’t overhear many Spanish conversations at all, but don’t worry, most Catalunians find it amusing to practice Spanish with foreigners.

…and many foreigners there are. Barcelona’s popularity with European students offers the opportunity to mingle with not only native Spaniards, but also with students (and citizens) from various European countries.

Culture Shock and Support

Dinner is at 9 p.m. on an early night, professors often show up rather late to class, city workers and sales associates do not pay nearly as much attention to customers as in American: These things, combined with distance from home and a completely unfamiliar territory, make for an almost inevitable bout of culture shock.

Luckily, many study abroad programs offer fantastic support systems. API, the program with which I studied abroad, kept students busy from their first day abroad by teaching us about regional classes, offering us office hours for supportive pep talks, and making sure students found a friend within the program.

You won’t regret a decision to study abroad in Barcelona; it is a city that has anything a foreign student could hope for.

Contributed by Kristin Nehls

Study abroad programs in Barcelona vary depending on what is offered, but you can expect to spend about $10,000 per semester. It is important to consider what is offered in your study abroad package before going abroad; because Barcelona is so aptly located for travel to the rest of Europe, many study abroad programs will offer international excursions, with all expenses included as part of their study abroad fee.

Because Spain’s currency is the euro, it is also important to explore the patterns of the exchange rate before going abroad, and factor that into you budget. Barcelona is a big city with big city prices, meaning it could be more expensive than options in southern Spain. There are, however, plenty of great deals for students throughout the city (free drink nights and a three month metro card for about 100 Euro, to name a few).

Ask your university whether or not scholarships that you receive each semester can be transferred towards your study abroad expenses; programs such as API will accept all funding that a school is willing to transfer, which can bring your study abroad cost down significantly. Or you can always apply for independent scholarships, such as the one offered by Go Overseas.

API offers a variety of scholarships for those participating in their programs - including a few great options in Spain!

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